


Suns and Stars

by magicianparrish



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, F/M, So fair warning, monster!annabeth, this is really sad and I made myself cry writing it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2015-09-10
Packaged: 2018-04-20 00:38:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4766984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianparrish/pseuds/magicianparrish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabeth felt like a comet. She felt like she was burning up and hurtling a million miles towards the ground. And once she got too hot she would either disintegrate into nothingness or come crashing into the earth full force and die from the impact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Suns and Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my new fic. It's called Suns and Stars. I made myself cry writing this so this is a warning to you all. If you want to get into the mood, I suggest listening to Suns and Stars by Really Slow Motion and ...To Die For from the Lion King soundtrack. And if you could name all the books where I grabbed the quotes from, I'd be really impressed. Give me feedback and enjoy!

It was Annabeth's eighth birthday and she knew that Luke knew something and it was related to her. She tried to get Luke to spill the information because she hated being left out in the dark about things but he wouldn't relent. She would scrunch her nose and eyebrows with her arms crossed to try and guilt trip Luke but he seemed more persistent to not let her know than usual.

Luke was her only friend at Camp. Even though she had been living here just shy under a year all the campers were much older than her. They often excluded her from their activities because of her age and it frustrated her. The Ares kids would pick on her making Annabeth start fights with them. The Hermes kids would pull pranks at her expense, but once Luke caught wind he would yell at his half-siblings and cabin mates, but it wouldn't stop them the next time they did it on her.

But today was Annabeth's birthday. She hoped that since it was her special day they would treat her a little nicer. She hopped off her bed and quickly got ready for the start of her day. When she was ready she ran over to the Big House to see Chiron standing in his full centaur form with a smile on his face. Annabeth bounded right up to the only real father figure she had and hugged him tightly. He petted her hair gently.

"Happy birthday my child," he said to her.

She got off the centaur and looked up at him with a big smile on her face. Chiron was the real reason she felt at home here no matter what the campers thought of her. He was worth staying.

"I have a gift for you as well my dear. Follow me."

They both walked inside the Big House and into the office that Chiron has in the back. It's filled with various schedules, report cards and pictures of campers past and present giving it a messy look. This was her favorite place to hang out in her free time. Chiron was rustling through various drawers and papers before he turned around with two books in his hands. Annabeth's gray eyes widened and brightened with delight at the sight of books. She grabbed them from Chiron's hands and almost fell down from the weight. Chiron and Annabeth stifled little giggles.

The first book was a big one that was emerald green in color. In gold lettering written in Ancient Greek read: Greek and Roman Myths. She opened it up to see beautiful illustrations of heroes, heroines, gods, goddesses and monsters with their stories written inside. Annabeth felt giddy looking at it.

The second book was smaller and it was red with black lettering on the cover. It was an architecture book which made her even more excited. There were pictures in this book as well with definitions and explanations for all the terminology. Inside the front cover of both was a handwritten message from Chiron.

_Happy birthday Annabeth. May the gods bless you with all the knowledge you can obtain._

_Chiron_

"Thank you so much Chiron! This made my birthday even more special," she said affectionately to her mentor.

They hugged again before the both of them walked out to the big wrap around porch. It was still early and campers were just getting ready for their day. Some were heading to the dining hall for breakfast still in their pajamas and looking like they just woke up. Others were heading to the shower first.

"Do you need help carrying your books to the cabin?" Chiron asked.

Annabeth stood up straight and stuck her chin out in pride. Her grip around her books tightened.

"No thank you, I can handle it myself," she said with a prideful tone.

Chiron knew what her fatal flaw was from the beginning but he always wanted to try and help her anyway. He gave a soft smile and nodded his head.

"Very well. I'll see you for dinner tonight. Happy Birthday my dear."

With that she skipped down the steps and all the way to her cabin with the heavy books in hand. Some campers would say happy birthday to her and greet her with a smile. Annabeth immediately picked up that it was unusual. Most kids didn't even acknowledge her and now they were. She would hesitantly smile and thank them before continuing to walk. When she opened the door to the cabin all her half-siblings were waiting and they call screamed "Happy birthday Annabeth!" She was so startled she almost dropped her books on the floor. She just stood there for a few moments processing what was happening.

Marius, one of the older kids came up and wrapped an arm around her. Even though he was her half-brother she felt uncomfortable with him so close to her and showing such affection suddenly. It was out of character. But she didn't make any move to get away from him and causing speculation among the others.

"Happy birthday kiddo. Some of us got something great planned for you today."

"What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

He gave a smile that reminded her of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and it made her stomach churn.

"It's a surprise kiddo. But after lunch, come back here and I'll show you."

Annabeth slowly nodded reluctantly agreeing to go with her older half-brother. She figured it was just another harmless prank they were going to pull on her again. At this point she didn't really care all too much. She put her new books from Chiron on her bed and headed off to the Dining Hall where she met up with Luke.

When she saw him he looked a little nervous. She couldn't understand why though. So she ran up to him and pulled on his shirt to grab his attention. He looked down with his bright blue eyes and smiled at her. He picked her up and swung her around in his arms getting giggles to erupt out of her.

"Luke put me down!" she screeched.

After another spin her put her down and crouched to her level. He rustled her hair much to her annoyance and tried to get her curls back in order again. But she could never stay mad at Luke for long. He was her best friend, her only friend.

"Happy birthday Beth? How old are you sixteen now?"

"No! I'm eight!" she responded.

His blue eyes widened in surprise. "Eight?! Oh my gods you're so old!"

She giggled at his response. "I'm not as old as you are! You're fifteen and old!"

"I am not old," he defended with his arms crossed.

"Are too, one of the oldest in Camp."

He pursed his lips and raised a blonde eyebrow at Annabeth. "Whatever you say Beth."

She was proud she won the little argument between the two of them. She usually did but she was always proud anyway. Annabeth then remembered the worried look on his face before and decided to address it.

"Why did you look so worried Luke?" she asked.

His body tensed up and the playful banter they had going before came to an abrupt stop. The look on his face came back again but he was trying to hide it.

"Nothing you should worry about Beth. Just some punk campers at it again."

Her face dropped when he referenced the campers who usually picked on her. She would always defend herself but she was only a little kid and they'd remind her of that.

"Does it have to do with me again?" she whispered.

Luke put both of his big hands on her shoulders.

"Hey look at me Beth," he quietly commanded. She followed and looked into his bright blue eyes.

"I will always protect you okay? Even when you're big and strong enough to do it on your own, I will always be there for you. Family right?"

She nodded feeling a little better. "Family."

Just like Marius told her, she went back into her cabin after lunch. Marius was already waiting for her when she arrived. Annabeth gave him a small smile and wave as a greeting and he gave it back.

"Are you going to tell me what it is now?" she asked wanting desperately to know what was happening.

He just clicked his tongue and shook his head stepping forward.

"It's still a surprise Annabeth. But don't worry okay? I'm going to blindfold you so the surprise won't be ruined okay?" he said softly trying to reassure her.

Annabeth had a feeling churning in the pit of her stomach. She was nervous for whatever this might be but she agreed anyway. Luke's words echoed in her mind.

I will always protect you okay?

He would save her if anything bad happened to her, like he always did. He always kept his promises to her. She let Marius put the cloth over her eyes and blindly escort her to wherever she was going. Marius' hands were on her shoulders guiding her to where the surprise is. She had no bearing on her and had no idea where she was.

"Okay guys I got her!" Marius screamed.

It startled Annabeth because he'd been silent the whole way. She heard the cheers of others coming closer. Annabeth tried to get her blindfold off but she felt a pair of hands hold her arms to her side. She was freaking out by now and panicking. She was suddenly lifted off the floor and being carried somewhere.

She heard the sound of a door being burst open and she was thrown inside. A whizzing sound came to her left and right and she started to cough. Smoke bombs had been thrown inside wherever she was to blind her when she took the cloth off her face. The door was slammed shut again leaving her alone.

She had no idea where she was and was trying to figure it out. From outside she heard the laughing of the older kids who picked and pranked on her. Suddenly her head felt like it was going to explode and she crumbled to the ground.

"YOU DARE DESECRATE MY CABIN ATHENA SPAWN? I WILL PUNISH YOU THE WAY YOUR MOTHER PUNISHED SOMEONE I LOVED TOO." A booming voice came inside her head.

She started to scream in agony as her body felt like it was being ripped apart and sewn back together again. She felt like her brain was melting and she was set on fire. Annabeth grabbed her hair and she realized that it was falling out of her head. She had no idea what was happening to her.

"SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE! PLEASE SOMEONE!" She screamed in mercy.

Annabeth crawled her way towards the door and started to bang on it. Her legs weren't working anymore and she was too afraid to look at them. Through the haze of the smoke she saw her hands grow green scales and her nails became sharper. She dug them into the wooden door dragging them down in agony.

From the outside she heard the doorknob jiggle as someone tried to get in. Their body pushed against the door but it wouldn't budge.

"Annabeth?! Annabeth are you in there?" The familiar voice of Luke came from the other side.

Tears were running down her face. She was so scared.

"Luke! Luke you have to help me please! I don't know what's happening to me!" she screamed.

Annabeth started to hear hissing in her ears. She looked to the sides to see that her blonde hair was in clumps all around her body. She was shocked and terrified as she raised her left hand to the top of her head. What she felt was scaly and moving in and out of her fingers. She started to scream and bang on the door again pleading to anyone who would help her.

Pain erupted into her head once more and the booming voice came.

"YOU HAVE UNTIL YOUR SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY TO FIND TRUE LOVE TO BREAK THIS CURSE I HAVE THRUST UPON YOU. IF YOU DON'T YOU WILL LIVE OUT THE REST OF YOUR DAYS AS A MONSTER."

After that Annabeth blacked out.

* * *

When Annabeth woke up the first thing she saw was Chiron. He had an extremely worried expression on his face and he bent down to be at her level. She tried to stand up on her legs but quickly realized that she couldn't. Annabeth turned her around to look behind her. Instead of legs she saw a snake tail that looked like a rattlesnakes. She was startled by it greatly but curious as well. She thought about the rattle at the end shaking and it did the sound echoing in the cave they were in. Annabeth quickly whipped back around to look at Chiron again.

"Where am I?" she whispered.

The shadows of the cave covered Chiron's face. He looked sad and distraught in front of Annabeth. He seemed to have aged in just a few hours.

"My dear, we are deep in the forest," he answered back softly.

"Why am I in here? What happened to me?" she asked.

He held his hands out trying to pacify her. A little smile came on his face for a few moments before he turned grim again.

"Something terrible has happened to you, and I brought you here to keep you safe my child."

Annabeth just nodded her head trying to understand what happened to her. She barely remembered what happened before she blacked out. She didn't even know how she blacked out in the first place. She looked down at her now green scales and claws that adorned her hands instead of tan skin. It went up her arms as well and through her ripped Camp t-shirt on her torso as well. She looked up at Chiron's dark brown eyes.

"Am I a monster from the book you gave me?"

Chiron looked like he wanted to cry. He looked so sad and troubled in front of Annabeth. She knew that she was a monster, he knew that she was one too.

"Oh Annabeth, my sweet girl," he started. He solemnly shook his head up and down.

"You have been cursed by Poseidon to be what is called a Gorgon. But not all monsters are bad my sweet. I will protect you always and help you in every way I can."

Annabeth knew some things about the gorgons. She knew that they had snakes for hair, just like her. She wasn't sure why she had a snake's tail instead of legs like regular gorgons, but she didn't want to voice the question. She remembered the myth of Medusa and how she turned anyone she looks at to stone.

"Chiron, if I'm a gorgon why aren't you stone yet?" she asked.

He let out a small laugh and put a hand on her shoulder. She was so glad he wasn't scared of her for being a monster. It made her feel better.

"That is a curse only for Medusa. But you might be able to petrify," he cleared up.

"Well if any of those kids who did this to me come near me I'll petrify them," she growled feeling angry all of a sudden.

The fact that Marius and all the other punks who picked on her were at fault for what happened to her. She felt a fire burning inside of her and she just wanted to petrify them until they were basically stone. She looked over and saw a bunny eating grass near by. She slithered over and tried out the petrifying power she had. It happened so fast that when her anger subsided the bunny was frozen with it's mouth wide open. She looked back at Chiron whose eyes were wide at the spectacle he just witnessed.

"Well, you don't have to worry about them my dear. I have exiled them and Luke is setting them straight before they leave. You'll be okay."

He stood up from the ground now towering over Annabeth. She looked up at him as he straightened out his tshirt.

"I'll be back as soon as I can to visit you okay? Remember that you're still part of the family here at Camp Annabeth."

With that he left her alone in the cave in the woods.

* * *

Percy had always wondered where the weird claw marks on his door came from. When he got claimed at twelve as Poseidon's son, that wasn't the nicest first sight to see in his new home. It gave off an ominous feeling about it, like he could feel the pain behind it.

He'd heard about the story behind it after asking around. At first it seemed more of a myth and an urban legend told at camp to scare the little campers. But when he asked Luke, his face took on a dark look and shut him out.

Then of course he had to go to the dark side and steal the lightning bolt and become Kronos to start the biggest war since World War Two. And Percy just had to be the prophecy child and lead the demigods against the titans. But now that that enemy has been defeated it's been peaceful. Campers were slowly starting to get back to their normal routines, the grieving for the dead isn't as noticeable anymore among the older campers like himself.

Percy was hanging out with his best friend Grover by the river in the woods. They were sharing a pack of Coke together just trying to catch up as much as they can before Grover left to do his duties as the new lord of the wild. There was never a hitch in the conversation between the two. They were just staring at the flowing water of the river calmly together for the first time in a while.

"Have you ever seen the Gorgon of Camp?" Percy asked the satyr.

Grover chewing on the Coke can almost choked when Percy brought up the subject. He knew it was a touchy one with the campers who had been there before him. It was almost taboo to talk about her. But Percy wanted to know more, he wanted to know everything about her. He'd been kept in the dark too long.

"Um- you-you mean A-an-annabeth?" he stuttered out.

Percy leaned closer to the Satyr who looked extremely nervous now. His legs were plowing the dirt and he kept scratching his curly hair. Percy knew that Grover knows information about her.

"That's her name? Annabeth?" he wondered.

Now that he thinks about it he questioned how he had never known her real name up until now. Everyone if they ever brought her up just referred to her as the Gorgon of Camp. Luke or Chiron would shut down the conversation before it would ever start, never referring her by name or even acknowledging her. Grover just nodded his head avoiding eye contact with Percy.

"And she lives somewhere in these woods right?"

Grover whipped his head to face Percy's now. His brown eyes were wide like he knew Percy was up to something. He swallowed the last of the tin can standing up now. Percy followed in suit.

"Percy don't you dare do what I think you're doing," Grover warned.

Percy crossed his arms on his chest and raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"How could you possibly know what I'm thinking of doing?" he questioned.

"Well one, I'm your best friend. I know you inside and out. And two, in case you forgot we have an empathy link."

Grover had gotten him there. But he still wanted to find Annabeth. He was curious about her.

"Fair enough. But I'm still going to search for her."

Grover bleated in nervousness. "I highly advise not to do that. Every time a camper has tried, they went missing for a few days before we found them petrified in the middle of the woods. They're never the same. She doesn't like visitors."

Percy started walking away from the creek. He turned around and pulled out riptide to show Grover. He had a small smile on his face as he was walking backwards from Grover.

"Well it's still worth a shot."

Percy wandered through the forest for who knows how long. It was still the middle of the day so he still had time to find what he was looking for and get his way out of the forest before dinner time. He had riptide in his hand in case he ran into any stray monsters that Chiron keeps for practice sometimes.

As he crossed over a log, he felt the air shift. It was like he crossed a magical boundary and he had a feeling he was in gorgon territory. A moment later he heard the sound of rattles echoing in the trees. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and Percy went into guard stance. Grover's warning echoed in his head now and he felt regret for his rash actions of wanting to find Annabeth. But it was too late to back out now.

"You're not Chiron," a voice came from the trees.

Percy had fought Medusa when he was twelve. He knew what gorgons looked like. He imagined that she would sound like Medusa. Have a low and seductive voice luring in the heroes to kill. But she sounded like a normal girl. Her tone of voice was cold and blunt, but it was nothing like he imagined.

"No I'm not," Percy responded.

There was rustling in the trees and Percy looked up trying to find her. But she seemed to be able to move swiftly and camouflage herself in the trees.

"I don't like visitors," her voice was much closer to Percy now and it gave him goosebumps.

At this point he could hear the hissing of the snakes from her hair, but he still couldn't see her.

"Put the sword away now demigod," she demanded.

The voice of her was from behind him so he turned towards it. Riptide was still in his hand. He pointed it towards the voice and he heard hissing come from it.

"Do you feel threatened by it?" he asked.

"I've had many people seek me out with weapons. Put it away or I'll do what I've done to all the others who have come to me," she threatened.

Percy capped his sword and put it in his pocket. He held his hands up in defense showing that he means no harm towards her.

"Why have you come?" she asked.

The rattling sound was echoing all around him. He just wanted her to come out already. The fact that he could hear her and not see her made him uneasy. Percy tried to think of how he should phrase his actions.

"Honestly, it was just curiosity. Every time I asked Chiron or Luke-"

Suddenly he was face to face with her. Her hair was made up of golden snakes hissing and moving all around her face. She had green scales that covered her torso and cheeks on her face. But her eyes were livid and the scariest gray color he'd ever seen. Behind her was a huge rattlesnake tail.

"Don't you ever mention that name to my face ever again you hear me demigod?" she growled.

Percy scrambled back away from her. She was nothing like what Medusa looked like. She looked more like a dracaena with the snake tail instead of legs. She looked like she was about Percy's age. He just assumed she was much older because she was like an urban legend here at camp.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I won't say it again I promise," Percy hastily said.

"Good. Now if you don't have any real reason for being here I suggest you leave me alone now."

Now that she was in the light and not in the shadow Percy got his first good look at her. Her face was human looking. She had a long and straight nose and dark eyebrows that were sharp. Her gray eyes looked like there was a storm brewing inside, but he could see extreme sadness inside as well. Her lips were always in a frown.

"You don't get many visitors do you?" he asked sitting down on a rock.

She crossed her arms over her chest. Her gray eyes narrowed and she raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Depends, they usually just want to kill me when they come, but I get to them first."

She let out a bitter laugh at the end of that statement.

"Then I just leave them in the woods for your little camp to pick up. Just to keep you guys on your toes and to remind you to not come near me."

"Your name's Annabeth right?" he asked changing the subject.

She seemed to recoil when he asked that. Her guard went up again and she was scrutinizing him. She looked to the ground for a few moments like she was trying to get her wits together again. When she did look him in the eyes again there was something different inside her irises. She slowly nodded yes.

"Nobody's called me that in such a long time," she whispered.

He felt a wave of sympathy wash over him at that statement. It was so sad to hear her get worked up because he had called her by her name. It made him wonder what they usually called her.

"What do people usually call you?"

"A monster, the Gorgon of Camp. Who really knows, I tune it out at this point. Makes getting through the day easier."

She looked up to the sky and all around her. She slithered back towards the shadows and disappeared from view again.

"It's getting dark and you should leave now."

With one last rattle she was gone and he was alone.

* * *

Annabeth sat in her cave just staring at the walls. She's used her claws to carve inside another tally to mark another end of a day. She also wrote her favorite quotes from the books Chiron's given her so she wouldn't be so lonely and bored all the time.

All along the walls high and low were quotes that kept Annabeth semi-sane all these lonely years.

_Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other._

_Terror made me cruel_

_It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen._

_Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart._

_It is a great misfortune to be alone, my friends; and it must be believed that solitude can quickly destroy reason._

_Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change._

All of them scratched in white making the cave look like some insane asylum. Every night before it got too dark to see, she would read all of them to herself again. Burning them into memory. Books piled high to the ceiling, her only company were the characters in the novels. They were her most valued treasure and the only real connection to the world that she was shunned from.

She sat staring at the quotes on the wall, but not really seeing them. It's been a long eight years of being alone. Being hunted down by her own people because she got cursed into becoming this monster. And it hurt. She didn't want to petrify the kids who came after her with foolish intentions; but it was her against the world now. Too afraid to leave and go out into the sun where her happiness and innocence once was.

The voice of the great god Poseidon echoing in her head even after all these years. Mocking her always. It was enough for her to go crazy and just kill everyone that comes near her part of the woods. But she had to hold on to the one sliver of sanity she had left. The last part of the curse that gave her some hope. She had less than a year now to find the true love she needed.

That boy she met today she couldn't stop thinking about him. He seemed different from the rest of them. He listened to her and wasn't trying to kill her for the spoils of war and fame. He was calm and soft. His aura was like a calming wave on the shore. He seemed tranquil.

He had called her by her name. It had been so long since she's heard someone besides Chiron call her Annabeth. When he said that, she had wanted to cry because she felt so overwhelmed in that moment. For a second it made her forget that she was a monster, and it gave her a brief sense of normalcy. And she never even bothered to ask for his name.

Out of frustration she slammed her fist into the wall causing it to shake and some dirt to fall the floor and all over her books. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the stone wall. Her hands were still in fists next to her head. The hissing of all the snakes had seized and the only thing that could be heard was the deep breathes Annabeth was taking trying to calm herself down.

She let out a gut wrenching scream. It was the first time she screamed like that since she first got turned into the monster. All the frustrations and pressure that has been building up inside of her was released in one scream of rage. She knocked down all the piles of books she had with her tail and scratched over the quotes on the wall. Some of the books had their front covers torn off and pages ripped out from the spine leaving a tornado of paper flying around her. The enchanted plates that Chiron had given her were smashed into tiny pieces all over the floor just like her sanity.

Tears were coming down her face like rivers that had finally overflowed from the monsoon of emotions in her. She tugged at the snakes where her once golden hair used to be. She wished it was still there so she could tear it out of her scalp. She dragged her claws over her face scratching her cheeks watching the now green blood come down and drip onto the floor. She was just so tired, so afraid, so weak.

"The one person who talked to me like I was normal, and I told him to go away. Now he'll never come back," she whispered to herself.

She looked up at the ceiling. She felt absolutely hopeless and hollow. Annabeth slithered out her cave and looked up at the night sky. Out in the deep woods, the stars were out in an abundance. The milky way spread right before her eyes in the night sky. She climbed up a tree until she was at the very top. The moon was in a waxing crescent making it look like Artemis' bow. The stars were twinkling like nothing was wrong when in fact everything was.

Annabeth felt like a comet. She felt like she was burning up and hurtling a million miles towards the ground. And once she got too hot she would either disintegrate into nothingness or come crashing into the earth full force and die from the impact.

She turned around and in the distance she could see the campfire going on. The flames were high and bright. She could hear the faint voices of all the campers singing along to the songs and cooking s'mores. How Annabeth yearned to be there with the rest of them. She would give anything to become her old self again. But no matter how much she prayed, there was nothing to be done to help her.

Thinking about her life made more tears come from her eyes. She only hoped that she would catch a lucky break for once in her life. Neglected by her mortal family, running away only to lose her only sister figure on Half-Blood Hill, Luke and his empty promises to her, being cursed for doing nothing wrong. Her entire existence was made for suffering, and she was tired of it. It has worn her down, eroded her until she was raw and had nothing more to lose or gain.

So like every night, she went back into her cave, now a mess from her breakdown and laid on the ground trying to ignore the dull stabbing of isolation and loneliness that only outcasts know.

* * *

When Percy went to bed that night, the only thought on his mind was about Annabeth. She was unlike any monster he's ever met, and he's met a lot in the last couple of years of being a demigod. Sure she was scary when she almost petrified him for mentioning Luke, but the way she acted was human. She showed vulnerability and emotions that monsters don't use when confronting demigods like himself. And she didn't want to kill him, which is another sign that she wasn't like other monsters.

Percy changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth trying to focus on other things. When he was finished he went to bed and was sent right into a dream.

He seemed to be underwater. Percy felt the floating sensation of not being on land. Being the son of Poseidon he could breathe underwater so he was fine. He looked around at his surroundings trying to figure out where he was quickly. He realized that he was in the throne room in Poseidon's palace.

He was the only one in there, and the lights were out making the shadows creep towards him. Percy didn't know what to do other than to just float there and wait for something to happen. A moment later the lights flickered on and Poseidon came into view. When he saw Percy he looked surprised and raised an eyebrow walking over to him.

"Percy, what brings you here in a dream?" Poseidon asked.

Percy shrugged his shoulders. He had no clue, usually if he appeared before a god in a dream that god was summoning him for a reason. He wouldn't just be here to stop by and catch up with his dad.

"You tell me dad."

Poseidon scratched his beard looking past Percy for a few moments. Percy just wanted this conversation over with quickly so he could maybe sleep peacefully. When he was done thinking to himself, Poseidon turned back towards Percy, matching green eyes staring at each other.

"I got a feeling that something happened to you today. Am I correct?"

Percy narrowed his eyes at his father. If he meant the meeting of Annabeth then yes he was correct. But Percy didn't understand why it was worthy to have a dream conversation with his father.

"Yeah I guess, but why-"

He was cut off by his father waving his hand to stop him from questioning him about his actions. It kind of annoyed Percy but he let it go.

"Would you like to tell me what it is?"

"Not really," Percy said bluntly, "and thanks for being protective of me all of a sudden, but I don't need it. So if we're done here I'd like to sleep peacefully now."

"We will talk about this later, this isn't over yet Perseus."

It faded out and this time he was brought somewhere else. It wasn't a dream where he was going to be talking to someone though. It was a dream that he was just going to have to watch unfold and do nothing about it. As the scenery got clearer he recognized that he was in Camp, right outside his cabin. The next thing he noticed was that Luke was there, and he looked much younger than anytime Percy had seen him. He looked maybe around fourteen and he didn't have the scar running down his face yet.

"I don't know what the fuck just happened but you will all be lucky if you come out of this alive," Luke growled.

There was a group of kids looking petrified of Luke standing before them. Percy looked back at his cabin and saw that there was yellow caution tape surrounding it making it look like a crime scene. He turned back to Luke and the group of campers. One of them, who looked like a stereotypical Athena child raised his hand.

"Listen we didn't know it would turn so bad. If we knew we never would've done it I swear," he said in a timid voice.

Luke's blue eyes were bright with fury as he looked directly into the Athena kid's gray eyes. He cowered away from the stare.

"I don't care about if's. Marius, you are her older brother for fuck's sake! You should've known better than to trick a little girl and throwing her into your mother's nemesis' cabin!" He screamed.

All the campers flinched at Luke's tone, Percy included. He'd never seen him so livid before and he was glad that he wasn't actually there to feel Luke's wrath. He stared at all of them for a few moments before his shoulders slouched and he looked defeated.

"Dammit guys, don't you understand? This was an eight year old girl who was only looking to fit in somewhere. I know her better than anyone else in this camp. She's an extremely intelligent and sensitive girl. And when you guys constantly picked on her, do you know what that did to her self esteem? All she wanted was to find a family within you guys because her real one neglected her. And now something terrible has happened to her because of a stupid birthday prank you decided to play on her."

"We didn't mean though-" another one tried to pipe up.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU MEANT TO HURT HER OR NOT! Did you shitheads not hear the screams of agony coming from the other side? No matter what happens, if she's dead or alive at this point, you will be guilty of this crime for all eternity and there's no escaping that.

"Chiron's going to probably exile you all anyway so I'd start packing."

With that he walked away wiping tears from his eyes.

* * *

When Percy woke up, it was dawn. The sun had yet to fully come into the sky, but he had many more questions than answers. And he knew Chiron was the only one who knew all of them. Percy quickly got out of bed not bothering to change out of his pajamas and briskly walked his way to the Big House. He walked in and knocked on Chiron's office door. He knew that he was awake because he was always an early riser. A moment later the door opened up with Chiron in a bathrobe and his tail in it's usual curlers.

"Percy, what are you doing here? And why are you up so early?"

"I had a dream."

That was enough for Chiron to bring Percy into his personal study and lock the door behind him. Percy had never really be inside here before. Sure he'd come in a couple of times to ask for Chiron to come out and help some younger campers out. But now he was looking around for the first time. There were pictures of campers everywhere and paper work piled high on his desk. Percy looked at all the pictures. He recognized most campers, but there was one photograph that was older looking.

It was of a young girl who had golden curls that was put up into two high pigtails. She was holding a book and giving a huge smile. Her gray eyes were shining brightly. She looked so happy in that picture.

Percy felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around to see Chiron giving a small smile towards him. He faced Chiron and sat on the chair that was in there.

"What did you dream about Percy?"

He took a deep breath trying to figure out where to start. Chiron's deep brown eyes were staring into him waiting for him to start with infinite patience for him. Percy licked his lips trying to get the dryness away.

"Well, yesterday I met Annabeth-" he started.

"You met who?" Chiron demanded.

Percy was taken back by the tone of his mentor. It wasn't harsh, but he seemed to be protective all of a sudden. Percy swallowed the lump that formed in his throat suddenly and continued.

"Annabeth. I met her yesterday."

"And you came out alive?" Chiron questioned like he couldn't believe it.

All Percy did was nod in response. Chiron seemed to be in deep thought for a few moments. His brown eyes got clouded and he stared at something past Percy. He'd never seen his mentor like this before.

"Does she know who you are?" he asked finally.

"No."

"It's probably a good thing then. If she knew you were Poseidon's son, she'll kill in an instant."

Percy's face scrunched up. He didn't seem to get that vibe from Annabeth at all yesterday. She didn't seem like the killing type just for revenge.

"I don't think so," Percy argued.

Chiron's old brown eyes looked into his green ones. There was something so ancient and sad inside of them.

"Percy, I know her. She would. What your father did to her, it messed up her entire life and she wasn't even at fault."

"What happened to her?"

Chiron shook his head. His hooves were plowing the non-existent dirt in nervousness. He crossed his arms on his chest.

"I can't disclose that information to you. I'm sorry Percy."

"I had a dream about Luke last night. He knew what happened didn't he? He chewed out those campers who did that to her."

"Luke was a different story son. He was Annabeth's only friend and here at camp. It would've been an injustice not to tell him what happened to her."

"That was the reason he turned was in it? The reason he went to the side of Kronos."

"That is too complex to decipher. Luke was a complicated man. But it was one of the reasons yes."

"What if I decided to go back and visit her today?" he asked.

"I would not advise you go alone."

That was the same thing Grover had said to him yesterday before he decided to ignore it and go find her anyway. But he didn't want to turn his back on Chiron, he was wise and his mentor for a reason. He just nodded his head.

"But, I have some books to give her today. So you may come with me."

Percy's face must've lit up because Chiron let out a small chuckle at his response. Percy wanted to hug him, but he felt that might have been a little overboard. So he ended up giving a thumbs up which probably looked really stupid.

"What time are you going to leave?"

"After breakfast."

Percy just nodded and ran out to get ready for the day ahead.

Percy hopped on Chiron's back and had to hold all the books he was bringing for Annabeth. Chiron galloped into the woods for what seems like forever. The forest seemed to blur together as Chiron picked up speed. Finally Percy felt that same tingle as he did yesterday when he stepped into Annabeth's territory. But he felt safer knowing that Chiron was there with him.

"Chiron, you're early today," the voice of Annabeth said from the trees where she was hiding.

"And I see you brought a guest along as well."

Percy hopped off of Chiron's back but stayed behind him as well. It was still intimidating not knowing where she was. Percy handed the books back to Chiron who nodded in thanks.

"Annabeth my dear, I brought some books for you to read. Come out and I will give them to you."

She came out of the shadows and faced the two of them. Her snakes shined in the sunlight and her tail was rattling. Her gray eyes widened at the sight of Percy and her mouth was open in a little o. After a few moments of staring at him, she turned to Chiron with a tight smile.

"What books do you have for me today?"

"I have  _Anna Karenina_ ,  _The Kite Runner_ ,  _The Art of Racing in the Rain_  and  _The Grapes of Wrath_."

She took the books from Chiron's hands holding them all in one arm while looking at the covers in the other hand. She seemed very fascinated in reading books. When she was finished she turned towards the two of them again.

"You didn't introduce me to your guest," she said.

Chiron cleared his throat like he was trying to stall the inevitable. He gestured to Percy.

"This is Percy."

Annabeth hummed in acknowledgment. "Who is he the son of?"

The air between the Percy and Chiron seemed to get tense all of a sudden. Annabeth picked up on it right away and narrowed her eyes. The snakes on her head started hissing more and getting restless. Her rattle at the end of her tail was echoing louder as well.

"Is there something you're hiding from me?" she asked with suspicion laced in her tone.

"Annabeth, I don't think you'd like the answer you're seeking," Chiron said trying to calm the air down between the three of them.

"Why it's not like he's the son of Poseidon or something right?," she asked slithering towards the two of them.

When the two of them stayed silent she stopped and looked the both of them in the eye.

"Right?" she asked again with more force.

More silence followed.

Annabeth looked like she got hit in the face with a pan. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Oh my gods, he is a son of Poseidon?" she asked in disbelief.

The air seemed to crackle with electricity. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up and goosebumps appeared everywhere on his body. The snakes started to hiss louder and Annabeth got a furious look in her eyes. They started to change from a gray to shining gold color and fangs started to come from her canines.

Chiron stood his ground and protected Percy.

"Annabeth think rationally here for a minute," he said in a calm voice.

" _Hisss_ father did  _thissss_  to me. He wanted me to  _sssufer_ , I'll make him too," she hissed.

Then she lunged towards Percy. He was knocked down to the ground by her. Out of instinct he closed his eyes to avoid being petrified by her. One of her hands was on his throat and the other was on his face trying to get him to look up at her.

"Look at me  _ssson_  of  _Possiedon_   _ssso_  I may kill you," she hissed.

Suddenly there was a cry of pain from her and he was released. He scrambled back and took out riptide and held it towards her. He opened his eyes and saw that there was five arrows embedded in her snake tail and one in her shoulder.

Chiron had shot her.

She hissed at Chiron who looked sad by the events that had unfolded. Annabeth yanked out all the arrows each coming with a  _rip_  which made Percy cringe. She broke the arrows in half and threw them on the floor in rage. She whipped around towards Percy again.

" _Ssoo_  now you really want to fight?" she threatened.

"Not really. You don't have a weapon."

Chiron's eyes widened at that statement. He turned towards Percy and was shaking his head no quickly. Percy didn't understand why. He just gave him a questioning glare.

"Pride Percy," was all he said and that's all Percy needed to know.

Pride was her fatal flaw and she wouldn't go down with a fight weapon or no weapon. Her glare seemed to intensify.

"I  _ssshould've_  know you were like the  _resst_  of them. You come into my territory looking  _ffor_  a  _fffight_  and even brought Chiron with you. Clever I admit."

He was in defensive position but he really didn't want to fight her.

"I don't go looking for fights! I didn't want to fight you. I wanted to see you again," he admitted.

"LIAR!" She screamed before charging.

"Annabeth!  _Pagoma_!" Chiron bellowed.

Like that word had some binding power to it, she froze in mid attack. Her eyes, still that shiny gold color turned in the direction where Chiron was and she growled. He looked angry, but mostly disappointment filled his features.

"Go back to your cave and think about what you're doing. When I think you're ready we will come in."

She growled once more at the two of them and slithered away into the trees towards wherever her cave was. Percy was still freaking out from the incident. It was like she had a completely different personality compared to yesterday. He capped riptide and put in his pocket before walking over to Chiron. He had a grim look on his face.

"I told you she would try and kill you Percy," he said solemnly.

"But why?" he asked.

"Because she has a lot of built up rage just waiting to be unleashed."

He sighed and then picked up all the books that were now covered in dirt and green blood from Annabeth. He tried to clean them off with his shirt as best he could before stacking them in his arms neatly. He started walking in the direction of Annabeth's cave and Percy followed him.

When they walk in, the first thing Percy notices is that the cave is a mess. There's broken glass and ripped pages from books all over the place. On the walls there were what looked like book quotes scratched in the walls but then cut through with more rabid scratches. Tallies lined the walls as well. It looked like she had a meltdown and trashed everything in sight.

Annabeth herself was scratching on the walls, too busy with herself to notice that they walked in. She seemed to be muttering to herself as well. It was written in ancient greek, so Percy could translate it. He could only see half the quote.

_The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves_

"Annabeth dear," Chiron starts.

He seemed to be worried about the mess in the cave as well as all the scratches in the wall. His voice took on a caring and soft tone, so unlike the one he had only a few minutes towards her.

She whipped around startled. Her eyes were back to a normal gray, and they were misty looking. Blood was still oozing from the wounds she had from the arrows. Now that she wasn't trying to kill him, Percy started to notice more details as well. There were scratches going down her face, and he knew they weren't from the altercation they just had. Her eyes were red rimmed. When she turned around the other half of the scratched in quote came into view.

_until one day there are none. No hopes. Nothing remains._

Annabeth almost seemed embarrassed that they came in. She wouldn't look either of them in the eye and she was chewing her lip nervously. Her tail was rattling. Chiron took a step forward with the books.

"Annabeth, did something happen last night?" he questioned carefully.

She was still staying silent and didn't answer right away. She swallowed and kept her eyes to the ground where all the broken glass was.

"Annabeth," Chiron chided. It was like he was talking to a child.

Her breathing suddenly got uneven and heavy. She closed her eyes trying to get herself together and not cry in front of them.

"I'm okay now," she choked out.

"That didn't answer my question. Did something happen last night?" Chiron asked again.

She looked up and stared Percy in the eyes. They weren't the golden lust for blood ones he had just seen. They were vulnerable gray eyes that looked like a storm on a rainy day.

"I had a breakdown," she admitted.

"About?" Chiron asked trying to get her to talk more.

Her eyes got a far away look in them. She turned towards the wall with all the quotes like she was reading all of them again.

_Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other._

_Terror made me cruel_

_It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen._

_Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart._

_It is a great misfortune to be alone, my friends; and it must be believed that solitude can quickly destroy reason._

_Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change._

"Everything," she whispered.

It was heartbreaking to hear her speak. Percy know knew that she was once a demigod too, and it wasn't too long ago. His father had cursed her to become this monster, when she was the victim of unfortunate circumstances. Shunned to live alone in the woods with only books. To be hunted down by her own kind because of what she was cursed to become. Now he understood why she wanted to be alone. It's all she's ever known.

"You could use a friend," Percy said.

She turned her head towards him breaking out of her reverie. Her gray eyes were wide.

"What did you say?"

"You could use a friend," he repeated.

She scoffed and shook her head.

"Of course I could use a friend that's not a character in a book. But who would want to be friends with me?"

"I would."

Her gray eyes narrowed and her lips formed a thin line. She looked over him from head to toe trying to figure him out. He could hear the hissing of the snakes on her head.

"I tried to kill you fifteen minutes ago. Why would you want to be friends with me?"

"Because I know what being an outcast feels like. We outcasts usually find each other and seek solace in one another."

"What do you know about being an outcast? You're the savior of Olympus, the leader of Camp. I'm just a monster."

Percy shook his head. There was so much more to him than just being the kid of the prophecy. And he knew there was so much more about her than her appearance.

"You're wrong. I got placed into that position. Before I came here, I was an outcast. No one wanted to be friends with me. My only friend I ever had in school was Grover in the sixth grade. And you're not a monster. You're Annabeth."

There was a silence between the two of them. Chiron walked over to Percy and gave him a pat on the back. There was a smile on his face, a real smile on his face.

"I'll leave you two alone. Enjoy the books Annabeth."

With that he left leaving the two of them to get to know each other better. The tensions and conflicts that they had only a couple of minutes ago vanished into thin air. Percy sat on one of the piles of books getting a small smirk from Annabeth.

"I'm sorry for trying to kill you. It's just I didn't know how to control my anger and you seemed like the best scapegoat at the time."

Percy knew she was being completely sincere with him. There was no malice or sarcasm in her tone. He gave her a small smile.

"I'm sorry that my father did that to you. No one deserves that kind of punishment, especially someone like you."

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize on your father's behalf. I've learned to cope as best I can at this point."

"Is that why you read so many books?" he asked with curiosity.

He picked one up from the pile next to him and read the cover.  _Lolita_  by Vladimir Nabokov was the book he picked up. He looked up to Annabeth again. She nodded her head.

"They're the only company I've had over these eight years. Keeps my mind occupied, takes me into a different world where I'm not living out my punishment on earth instead of the Underworld."

"And those quotes scratched in the walls?" He asked as he picked up another book.

This time it was  _Fahrenheit 451_  by Ray Bradbury. Percy recalls reading that book last year for ninth grade english class. He hated it, but he recalled the first line of the book pretty vividly.

_It was a pleasure to burn._

That's all he remembered because he remembers thinking, wow what a way to open a book.

As he looked around at all the books in the room, he figured there had to be at least a few hundred of them there. Some small, some so thick that it was hard to hold between your fingers. She was looking at the wall again with all the quotes.

"The ones that I relate to the most," was all she said.

Percy read over them again.

_Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other._

_Terror made me cruel_

_It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen._

_Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart._

_It is a great misfortune to be alone, my friends; and it must be believed that solitude can quickly destroy reason._

_Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change._

He repeated them to himself as he tried to figure out why Annabeth would relate to them the most. These were all really sad quotes, they made Percy feel an ache inside of his body, near his heart.

"What makes you relate to them?"

She arched an eyebrow at him turning away from the wall. "You just love asking questions don't you?"

He just shrugged his shoulders in response. She looked at the wall again and took a deep breath and exhaled for a long time.

"These are all from some of the greatest novels of all time. These books were made to make the reader think, to feel emotions strongly as if they were happening to you. My life has just been one misfortune after the other. One heartbreak after the other. I understand what these characters are feeling. It makes me feel less lonely in the world."

"What about you? Do you read?" she questioned.

"Not really. Don't have much time honestly," he responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"That's not an excuse," she chided.

"I liked _The Catcher in the Rye_ ," Percy admitted.

That got a small laugh out of Annabeth. He didn't know why she would laugh at that, it wasn't exactly funny. He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion.

"You seem exactly like the type of person who'd like that book. You relate to Holden I guess?"

She hit it right on the head. He gave her a small smile to let her know she was right. He did in fact relate to Holden. Getting kicked out of schools, feeling like he doesn't really belong with any group of people, wandering around New York alone all the time.

"What's your favorite book then Annabeth? Since I can tell you don't have much time to read any books either," he joked.

That got a real laugh out of her. It made him feel good that he could make her feel happy for once. He wondered when the last time she laughed was, or even had a nice conversation with someone was. Probably years he'd guess.

" _Frankenstein_ ," she said quickly.

"How come?"

"Because it's considered the first science fiction novel, and it was written by a teenage girl, and because it tells of how not only people making monsters, but that people are the monsters themselves."

Annabeth looked towards the entrance of the cave.

"It's getting dark outside, what would you like to do?" she asked.

Percy really liked her company. He had learned to ignore her looks, and deal with her personality. She was quite intelligent and impressed Percy greatly. He didn't want to leave her alone this instant.

"I'd like to stay a little longer if that's okay?"

Her face seemed to light up with joy at the idea of having her company stay longer. She nodded her head in excitement.

"If you want when the stars come out I can teach you all the constellations. The sky is so clear out here," she said in an excited tone.

"That sounds like a great idea."

When it did get dark, she took him to the top of her cave which was just grass. They both laid down side by side together looking up at the plethora of stars above them. It took Percy's breath away. He never saw any stars living in Manhattan. He could just stare up at them forever and never cease to be amazed. Annabeth pointed at a cluster of stars.

"That's Castor and Pollux, the gemini."

Percy recognized that constellation. Grover had shown it once when they were on the roof of Yancy Academy during a warm night.

"And that one's Pegasus, and right above him is Andromeda."

"Which one's your favorite Percy?" she asked with a small smile on her face.

"Perseus," he responded pointing to that constellation. "Probably because my real name is Perseus," he finished.

Annabeth turned her head towards Percy. He could hear her snakes hissing softly next to him. He wondered if that ever got annoying.

"You're named after...the slayer of Medusa?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yeah...and I kind of lived up to it too."

Her gray eyes stared into his deeply. "You killed Medusa?" she whispered.

Percy just nodded yes. Annabeth licked her lips and stood up. She turned around from him and stared up at the sky. Percy felt bad for mentioning it and making things awkward between the two of them. They had gotten along so well too. He walked over to her.

"Do you think you can make back to Camp on your own?" she asked not facing him.

Percy looked down sad by the sudden change of their dynamic. He took a deep breath.

"Yeah."

He started to walk down back to ground level. He turned around and saw that she still had her back to him and was looking at the stars.

"I had a great time today."

She didn't turn around.

* * *

After that fateful night, he never returned. It was now the middle of winter, but inside the borders barely any snow was let inside. Being next to the Long Island Sound, there should've been piles dumped inside, but Chiron would only allow a couple of inches in.

The days grew shorter and darkness crept in for longer hours letting Annabeth move around in the shadows not to be seen. It was during these parts of the year that she would dare go closer to where Camp was and watch all the little campers enjoy the snow. Snowball fights would break out between rivaling cabins, snowmen and families to go along with them would pop up big and tall. Snow angels were everywhere. Even some kids went sledding down Half-Blood Hill all day. It was a winter wonderland that Annabeth could only watch from the trees and their shadows.

Just like how the sun sets over the horizon, the light disappearing from the earth and bringing forth night her hope was diminishing as the months, weeks, days and hours ticked by closer to her deadline. It seemed to be hurtling towards her, shining brightly like a comet and she couldn't ignore it faster and faster until it burns her up.

Percy was one of the suns in her life. There had been a couple. Ones who made her feel warm and happy on the inside. The first was her little family trio on the run from Richmond to Camp. Luke and Thalia had been her first suns. She orbited them, leaned on them for protection. But then Thalia had exploded into a supernova, igniting on Half-Blood Hill sacrificing herself to save their family, but in the process burning Annabeth.

Shortly after Luke had followed. Giving her empty promises of protection and family. Instead of exploding like Thalia, he caved inward to become a black hole. Sucking in the hope she had with him until it was gone forever never to be seen again.

Percy had been the next one. Nothing had happened to him. He was a sun that shined brightly in the couple of days she had known him, but then he seemed to fade away. Drifting away into another galaxy that she didn't and could never belong in.

And she couldn't blame him. Annabeth still didn't understand why he was so curious about her. She was just a girl turned into a monster. He was the Savior of Olympus, the golden boy of the gods. But she longed for him to come back anyway. She got a taste of companionship, and she wanted more of it but could not get it. It left her starving, slowly eating her from the inside out. But she was just left with her books once more.

The soft crunching of footsteps in the snow catch her attention. Annabeth was in her cave at this point. She figured it was another reckless demigod looking for her to try and get her head as a prize. The thought made Annabeth sad but she prepared herself to petrify the demigod and put them in the woods for the others to find. She mentally prepared herself and slithered towards the entrance of her cave.

As the footsteps got closer she tensed up and gave her warning.

"Stay back demigod or this will not end well for you."

The footsteps were slower this time but they kept creeping forward. She really hated when demigods ignored her warnings but she got into position. She could feel her eyes starting to take their golden glow and the fangs came out. Then she lunged. The demigod in question fell to the ground immediately and closed his eyes.

"Whoa! Annabeth it's me!" he shouted.

Annabeth knew that voice. It belonged to Percy. At first she wanted to be angry at him, for abandoning her during that summer. But the fact that he came back, no matter how long it was overwhelmed her and she was happy instead. She felt herself get out of attack mode and stared at him with a smile on her face.

"Percy? You came back?" she questioned.

He stood up and brushed the snow off his jacket and pants. He took off the beanie hat he was wearing and shook his black hair while running a hand through it. When he was finished he looked up at Annabeth and returned the smile.

"Yeah, we kind of left off on the wrong foot last time. But I want to repent."

Percy had a satchel on him. He opened up the flap and started digging through it looking for something. After a few moments he took what it was out and held in in front of him. It was a stack of books. Annabeth's smile widened and she went closer to him and took the books out of his hands.

She read all the titles.  _All Quiet on the Western Front, Bridge to Terabithia, Macbeth, The Crucible and Julius Caesar_. It was the best gift she's ever gotten from anyone. The soft covers of the books made her feel warm. She looked up at Percy.

"This book is my father's favorite," she whispered.

"Which one?" he asked.

" _All Quiet on the Western Front_. He's a professor of war history at Berkeley. Specializing in World War One."

She looked up at him the books piled in her arms. "Thank you."

Annabeth couldn't wait to read all of them, and they would be her favorite books as well.

* * *

All Percy wanted to do was take a peaceful nap. He had been working hard all day and he was freaking tired and deserved to catch some sleep in the middle of the day. Instead he was graced with the presence of his father once again. Percy wanted to groan and roll his eyes like a normal teenager would do to his father, but not everyone's father is a powerful god.

Poseidon was sitting in his throne made of abalone and pearls. The big trident was in his hand and he looked to be brooding. Seldom did Percy see his father like this and every time he did it made him nervous. Percy often forgot that his father was not always the kind and gentle god he's seen him as. He's more often than not a hot-headed, short-tempered god who causes storms and kills people who annoy him.

"Perseus come here," his deep voice boomed.

Percy tried to calm his beating heart. He wanted to avoid the upcoming conversation with his father. But he slowly made his way anyway. He bowed his head towards his father in respect. But he wouldn't look him in the eyes.

"Yes father?" he whispered.

"You've met her haven't you?" he questioned.

He felt nauseous all of a sudden. Poseidon didn't even mention the name but he knew exactly who he was referring to. After a tense moment, he nodded his head yes in response. There was silence between the two of them. Percy gathered enough courage to take a glance at his father. There was no emotion on his face which made Percy even more nervous.

"Father?"

"She almost killed you," he callously pointed out.

Percy flinched at his tone. He had completely forgotten about that fight. He had such a good time after that he didn't bother to remember or hold it against her. She was great company.

"But she didn't," Percy pointed out.

"It was close enough. I cursed her expecting not for her to fall in love with my son of all people," he growled.

Percy was taken back by his comment. Annabeth couldn't possibly be in love with him. The way she acted towards him signaled anything but that. His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"I think you're mistaken. She's not in love with me," Percy denied.

Poseidon gave out a curt laugh that gave goosebumps to Percy. He's never seen his father act so cold before.

"I'm not though. I told her she had until her seventeenth birthday to find someone who loves her in order for her curse to break."

"And you think it's me?" he asked in a small tone.

"I know it's you. Time is quickly slipping through her fingers. Desperation often makes people do rash things. She's desperate to break the curse before the sand runs out. And I don't want you tangled up in this."

"What do you want me to do then? Just stop visiting her?" Percy asked his anger flaring up.

A dark look formed over Poseidon's face. It was a hurricane was about to come sweeping onto shore and destroy everything in it's path. This was another side of his father Percy had never experienced before. The water around the both of them seemed to drop to freezing temperature.

"No. I want you to keep visiting her. Gain her trust, make her fall completely in love with you but right when she thinks you're her knight in shining armor, I want you to kill her once and for all."

Percy was absolutely appalled by his father's plan. He wasn't a born killer, he couldn't kill the innocent. He looked at his father with disgust written all over his face. He wouldn't do it, he refused to kill Annabeth.

"There's no way I'm going to kill Annabeth," he refused.

Poseidon stood up, power radiating off of him in strong waves. It was overwhelming to Percy. There was a dark look in his eyes and he was frowning.

"It's either you kill the monster, or I kill those you love," he challenged.

The ultimatum hit Percy in the face like a ton of bricks. Poseidon knew his fatal flaw was loyalty and was using it against him. The pressure suddenly made him want to crumble to the ground.

"You have three days to make your chose son."

Percy woke up screaming. He looked at the scratch marks on the wooden door and started to cry.

* * *

Later that day Percy decided to visit Annabeth again. The dream kept echoing inside of his head but he just wanted to hang out with her and pretend that everything is normal and he wasn't trying to figure out if he was going to kill her or not.

As he walked into her territory again, he was no longer scared of her. He just walked through.

"I know your footsteps anywhere," her voice came from behind him.

He calmly turned around and she was staring at him with gray eyes and a small smile on her lips. Her scales shined brightly in the winter sun making her look beautiful. He could only imagine what she would look like if she wasn't a monster. She would probably take his breath away. He gave her a smile in return.

"Did you read the books I gave you yet?"

She nodded. "I'm halfway through _Macbeth_  now. But I finished the rest of the plays."

"Thought you'd be done by now," he teased.

"I may have a lot of time, but I'm not a speed reader."

He chuckled.

"What brings you here Percy?"

Honestly, he didn't know what to do. He just wanted to see her again. Looking at all the snow around him he figured something out quickly.

"Have you ever built a snowman?" he asked.

Her gray eyes got a little darker. There was so much emotion held inside of those eyes, it's what made her look human no matter how much she didn't really. He loved those gray eyes. Her eyebrows scrunched together in deep concentration.

"I have once. It was with my father when I was around four. We got an unusual amount of snow in Richmond that year. My father grew up in Boston and loved the snow. He taught me how to do everything. But it was so long ago I seem to have forgotten," she said in a daze.

Percy grew up under pretty rough circumstances. With a single mother who worked multiple jobs to keep the two of them afloat, a stepfather who abused them both mentally and physically for years, he knew what it was like to suffer. But through all that blackness, he still had fond memories of playing in the snow in central park with his mother every winter, including this one. But her suffering was something very different from his. And he didn't want her to suffer alone any longer.

 _You're probably going to end her suffering once and for all in three days_ , a dark bitter voice came in his head.

He quickly shook the thought out of his head. He didn't want to be thinking about that at the moment. He looked back at Annabeth.

"I'll re-teach you so you don't forget this time okay?"

Her gray eyes lit up like a little kids at Christmas opening their presents for the first time. The look on her face made Percy warm and happy on the inside. Together they built an entire family of snowmen and women with their children all lined up. Annabeth often slithered off into the trees to get the supplies for the face. She also weaved sticks into a hornpipe and a hat with fast precision.

While she was finishing up the last snowman, Percy bent down and grabbed a handful of snow. He formed it into a perfect snowball and threw it at her back. She screeched in surprise and whipped around to face Percy. At first he thought she was really angry at him, but then she smirked and retaliated.

Percy had no idea how long the snowball fight lasted. But the echoes of her laughter and childish screams was music to his ears. It was the most fun he's had in a long, long time. A huge grin was spread out on Annabeth's face and hadn't diminished in hours.

They both collapsed on the snow looking up at the sky that was now turning from blue to orange with the sunset. Percy thought winter sunsets were more beautiful than summer ones. The sun was reflecting over the ice caked limbs of all the trees making it glow with a sense of magic. Everything was covered in the glittering snow. Percy turned his head to the side to see Annabeth staring intently at him.

"You're my best friend," she whispered to him like it was her deepest secret.

A closed lip smile formed on Percy's face as he stared into her startling gray eyes. She looked so peaceful at that moment in time. All he wanted to do was take a snapshot of this exact moment and keep it close to his heart at all time so it would never fade from his memory.

"Same here," he whispered back.

The two of them seemed content at that moment. They both turned their heads towards the sky again and just stared at it as it changed colors every minute that went by. The conversation with his father came back full force making him remember everything.

"Do you love me?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Like every time she feels nervous, or anxious her rattle echoed against the trees. She didn't say anything for a minute.

"You don't have to answer that," he tried to amend.

"Yes," she said at the same time.

Percy didn't know how to respond now that his father had proved him right. He didn't want him to be right because that makes his decision that much harder and more morally wrong. He really was her only hope. He just wanted to disappear so badly at that point. Wanted to escape the situation he was in. But he couldn't.

"Okay," he whispered.

* * *

The next time Percy visited Annabeth was three days later. She had the most fun she had in her entire life on that snow day. The family of snowmen were still outside in her cave standing strong and proud. She had also finished all her books that Percy had given to her as a present. She loved all of them.

When Percy came to visit her he seemed different. He wasn't his usual self around her which she found weird. He seemed stressed about something and worried. And she didn't know how she could help him at all.

"Is there anything I can do to help you Percy?" she asked softly.

He just had this sad look in his eyes. Like he was going to do something he would regret deeply. His green eyes which Annabeth had fallen in love with were churning like waves before a storm hit shore.

She had invited him into her cave and set up a campfire inside to keep them warm from the coldness outside. They both were huddled together and she gave him an enchanted cup from the dining hall.

She had hot chocolate in her cup with mini marshmallows. Percy had hot cider in his. They were both silent as they watched the flames dance. The embers would go high into the ceiling of the cave before flickering out into nothingness. It was calming to watch the red, yellow and oranges of the flames. It warmed her physically and calmed her mentally. She needed calm at this point.

Percy put his cup down and went into his satchel bag that he always brought with him. He dug out a container and opened up the lid. Something sweet filled her nostrils and her mouth started to water. Percy chuckled lowly at her reaction. She just raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile.

"It's a batch of my mom's famous chocolate chip cookies. Just got them via Hermes today."

He took one out and gave it to her. The first thing she noticed was that they were dyed blue. She raised an eyebrow in question.

"Inside joke between the two of us," he answered.

She nodded and realized that the cookies were still warm, like they had just come fresh out of the oven. She could feel the chocolate chips melting on her fingertips. Annabeth looked up at Percy who nodded in encouragement to eat them.

"They won't kill you," he promised.

Annabeth trusted him. She slowly raised the cookie to her mouth and took a huge bite out of it. Immediately the dough melted in her mouth. It was the most delicious cookie she had ever eaten in her life. She quickly devoured the rest of it after that first bite. She looked back at Percy who had a sad look on his face. She didn't understand why though.

"That was the best thing I've ever eaten," she praised.

"I'm glad you liked it, and I'm so, so sorry Annabeth."

Annabeth cocked her head in confusion. Why would he be sorry for giving her a cookie? A moment later her head began to cloud up and she seized up not being able to move her body. Her snakes were hissing loudly and her rattle was shaking rapidly. She was very scared and was thrown back to when she was eight.

It was getting tricked all over again. This time it was by someone she trusted. She had never felt more betrayed in her entire life. He had poisoned her. She fell to the floor trying to understand why this was happening to her. She didn't even have the energy or power to petrify him for tricking her. She was completely immobile and helpless.

His face came into her line of vision. Tears were coming down his face and he had his sword out in his hand. Percy was going to kill her and she didn't know why. Annabeth wanted to know why.

"Why?" she croaked out.

"Because I have no other choice," he cried out in agony.

At that exact moment she felt like a comet. She had finally hit the atmosphere and was burning until she turned into dust. She admitted defeat and was ready to die. Annabeth closed her eyes and awaited death.

"I love you so much Annabeth, so much more than you will ever know," he whispered.

She heard the whiz of the sword in his hand and then…

...felt nothing.

* * *

It was a clean cut. Straight through her neck. Her eyes were still closed. Percy felt all the guilt crash into him like a tsunami. He sobbed and sobbed until his throat was raw and his eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were flushed. He would cry until his own untimely death to show how guilty he felt.

The worst part was that Chiron knew. He told him how Poseidon had given him a choice to make. Chiron had a grim look descend upon his face when he heard the story.

 _There are some choices you can't get out of_ , he said.

 _Chiron I can't kill her, I just can't! She's innocent!_  he pleaded.

A stray tear came out from the old centaurs eye. He looked guilty about the words he was about to say.

 _It's better to sacrifice the life of one to save the lives of many_ , he whispered sealing Annabeth's fate.

A bright light illuminated the cave making him look up. Where the body of a gorgon was, now laid a beautiful girl with curly blonde hair and tan skin. She was still dead, but he knew that her spell was broken. It was all a cruel game with Poseidon.

He got on his knees and looked towards the heavens even though he knew his father wasn't up there.

"I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY NOW. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO. YOU MADE ME INTO A MONSTER. A MURDERER," he shouted at every god who was listening to him.

"SHE'S DEAD BECAUSE YOU MADE ME KILL HER. NOW SHE'S GONE!"

He broke down into more tears. "And it's all my fault," he sobbed out to himself in the isolated and lonely cave.

"It's all my fault."

**Author's Note:**

> And that's a wrap! I'm sorry if I made any of you cry. But I have a question for you. The books Percy gave Annabeth, why do you think I chose those specific books? Give me your answers! Thank you so much. xoxoxo


End file.
